Treehouse hosts turkey cook off for toy drive

November 08, 2012, 7:00 pm by Adam Troxtell

The Treehouse Bar and Grill in Marble Falls is hoping to use holiday food to kick start a toy drive with their first Turkeylicious cook off this Saturday.

The restaurant is inviting grill savvy cooks to test their abilities by bringing in USDA approved turkeys and grill them, along with the dressing, on site. Individuals or teams must pay a $50 entry fee, and all proceeds will go to Marble Falls Fire Rescue’s Toys for Little Turkeys holiday toy drive.

Owner Mary Watson hopes to see the yard around her restaurant filled with grills and smokers so patrons can take advantage of giving back while also receiving a bit of charity in return.

"We’re going to feed everyone that walks up that day,” Watson said. "We’re hoping to feed one-hundred. Anyone’s welcome, free or by donation.”

Any food left over from the event will be given to firefighters and other first responders. Watson said the most important thing about Turkeylicious is to benefit Toys for Little Turkeys by spreading awareness and asking as many people as possible to help out.

"The bigger idea is that we get quite a bit so a whole lot of people can get involved and help out with the toy drive,” Watson said.

Contestants can enter the cook off as late as Saturday morning, and the cooking is expected to start between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. No pre-marinating or pre-soaking of turkeys is allowed before meat check-in that morning. Corn breads for dressing may be cooked off-site, but the final cooking of the dressing must be with wood or charcoal at the event. Dressing must be turned in by 1 p.m. and turkeys are due by 2 p.m., with a 10 minute cushion allowed for both. Containers for turkey meat and dressing will be provided by Treehouse.

Eight ounces each of white and dark meat is due in a meat tray from contestants to be judged, along with two cups of dressing and one cup of gravy. Other than gravy, nothing else is allowed in either the turkey tray or the dressing containers.

Tree House will be serving drinks during the event, but no outside alcoholic drinks are allowed. Children are welcome to attend with their parents, but those under the age of 21 must leave the property by 7 p.m.

For any other questions or those interested in entering the event, contact Mary Watson at 512.755.7640.